


Route 66

by Shangalangalang



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Universe, M/M, Road Trip, Take this as a filler of sorts which explains how Bart and Ed got so close, Takes place between the events of Season 2 and Season 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-22 08:19:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19663444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shangalangalang/pseuds/Shangalangalang
Summary: The road trip was Eduardo’s idea, but the suggestion to leave their powers out of it was Bart’s. Traveling along Route 66 in the car gives a sense of introspection to the duo as they find out more about each other, and the world surrounding them.





	Route 66

The road trip was Eduardo’s idea, but the suggestion to leave their powers out of it was Bart’s.

The fact that they’d gotten so comfortable with one another was a surprise in itself, especially considering they didn’t talk to each other much at first. A good year had already passed since Bart and Ed first met at Black Canary's counseling intervention, during the Reach invasion. How they truly began talking was more of an accident. At the time, Bart didn't know that Eduardo Dorado Jr. had the same name as his father. It was a confusing first encounter when Bart had tried handing off important research materials to Ed, who had no idea what the materials were for. A fight almost broke out because Bart believed Ed was a villain impersonating his father to get his hands on the confidential materials, and it took a distressed Nathaniel to break the two up from a fight. Ironically, the two became fast friends after that incident.

Bart liked Ed- a lot. The dude was crash, and it was clear that he’d come a long way from despising his meta-powers to learning to live with them and even appreciate their existence. He’d been there with Ed when he went through the highs and lows of having his teleportation powers, and the explosive arguments he had with Eduardo Dorado Sr. about said powers. It took a while for those arguments to fizzle out, and for Ed to finally have a better grasp on his abilities. Within a few months of hanging out, Bart watched Ed go from a high-strung individual to a relaxed, mellow dude who just wanted to help other meta-teens like him. But he knew that Ed missed his life of normalcy from time to time. Therefore, Bart loved jumping at any opportunity that would help remind Ed what a “normal” life was like, before the meta-genes; before the powers.

So when Ed suggested going on a short road trip along what used to be Route 66, Bart quickly hopped on the idea. A nice drive with his buddy, through parts of the country he’d never seen before? Why wouldn’t he say yes? But he wanted to add a twist. A road trip was a normal activity, and throwing their powers into it would just kill the purpose of a road trip altogether. Bart was the one who suggested that they go on the road trip with a bet in place- first person to have to use their powers for any reason would pay for the other’s dinner next time they ate out. Simple incentive, but incentive nonetheless. And what else could spell out normal other than a powerless, harmless road trip across the highway?

Needless to say, the bet was on. A little friendly competition never hurt anybody.

“Got everything I need,” Bart threw his duffel into the backseat and closed the door, careful not to slam the door too hard. The duffel was filled with mostly Chicken Whizzies and other snacks to keep Bart’s metabolism at bay during the trip.

“Alright. If you left anything, we can stop by a gas station or something. By the way, are you sure about this?” Ed asked for the final time, twirling his dad’s car keys in one hand with his other hand on his hip. “The whole no powers thing, I mean.”

“Absolutely positively,” Bart replied as he handed Ed the large Starbucks coffee he’d requested for the ride. Bart didn’t have his license, but Ed did, which meant Ed was the designated driver the whole time. And if he wanted to stay awake, he’d need coffee- lots of it. Bart made his way to the passenger seat and buckled down, hands patting his lap excitedly. Despite the limitations, this was still his first road trip- and he was excited to get to share this experience with Ed. “Ready when you are, _hermano_. Unless you don’t think you can handle this.”

Ed rolled his eyes as he got into the driver’s seat and started the engine. “You forget that I spent a lot more time without my powers than with them. I know how to exist without them just fine.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Can’t relate.” Bart opened the map that detailed the route they’d go along. “Let’s see here…first stop is Old Town, Albuqurque.”

*

The first few hours on the road from Taos to Albuquerque were relatively uneventful. Aside from Ed’s throwback playlist and Bart’s incessant rambling about “how retro” everything looked, the vibes in the car were very crash.

After a while, though, Bart became restless.

“Can’t you make this thing go any faster?” Bart whined, reclining his seat as far back as it could go. He was obviously unsatisfied with Ed pushing 60 on a 45, even though 60 was already cutting it close. Luckily for Bart, Ed was more or less chill with his incessant groaning about how slow they were going- he found the speedster’s complaints more amusing than anything.

“Not unless you want to get pulled over by the cops,” Ed shook his head.

“Cops, schmops. All I have to do is whip out the hero I.D. and they’ll let us off.” Bart shrugged.

“Sure you can. Still counts as a loss, though.”

“What? How?”

“You wouldn’t be a hero without your powers, no? If you put on the costume, it’s basically the same as using your powers. Plus, don’t you usually vibrate into your uniform anyway?”

Bart let out a loud and pronounced “UGH” before reclining his seat forward again, earning a lighthearted chuckle from the driver.

“ _Lo siento_ , I didn’t make the rules. I’m just interpreting them.” Ed shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road. There weren’t many cars at this hour, and even if there were to be an accident, the two would probably be safe due to their meta-powers; but his dad would not be pleased if Ed crashed and wrecked the car.

“Yeah, the stupid rules that _I_ made up. Thanks a lot, past me.” Bart grumbled, looking out the window. Despite himself, he had to admit- the view of the other side of Route 66 was worth the slow pace the car was going at. They’d left at a very early hour, so the sun was still coming up from the other side of the mountains. He snuck a glance at Ed, whose relaxed posture gave off all the leisurely vibes in the world. Bart liked the way Ed looked in sunglasses, even though he insisted they were only to block the sun out of his eyes and not for fashion. He liked the way Ed drove- casual and experienced. He wondered why Ed got a license in the first place, when he could just automatically teleport anywhere he needed to, whenever he wanted to.

“No one to blame but yourself,” Ed smirked playfully. “Maybe you’d rather race me to Albuquerque, and I can meet you there?”

“That sounds-” Bart looked ecstatic for one moment, then annoyed the next at Ed’s obvious attempt to bait Bart into losing the bet. “Like a terrible idea. Drive on, _amigo._ ”

*

Old Town, Albuquerque was a quiet and antique area, home to delicious enchiladas and sopapilla pastries that Bart gulped down at the speed of light.

“These are-” Bart exclaimed between bites. “- _so crash!_ ”

Ed laughed heartily, watching Bart gobble up the gigantic pile of food they ordered. “Save room for dessert, man. There’s more to come.”

“Trust me, that won’t be a problem.” Bart threw another enchilada in his mouth and patted his stomach for good measure. “I’ve got speedster metabolism. I’m basically a black hole.”

“Speedster metabolism, huh? Doesn’t that count against the rules?” Ed asked, feigning concern.

“What? Dude, I can’t do anything about my metabolism, it’s just the way I was born. That’s so not fair!”

“ _Estoy jugando_ ,” Ed laughed. “I’ll let you off the hook.”

“Gee, thanks. What a graceful sacrifice. Besides, we had none of this in the future. Gotta eat as much as I can.”

Ed leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. “Good thing you got out of that place. A life without enchiladas is not a life worth living.”

Bart paused mid-chew. “Although I was the only one who was able to.”

Ed frowned. “But surely, the future’s fixed now. Everyone you left back there is definitely living a better life than before.”

“That’s what I’m hoping, anyway. Who knows what’ll happen in the future? I always wonder if the Reach apocalypse was the end-all be-all, or if there were other things involved that could have caused that future.” Bart shrugged. “’Sides, sometimes I miss my buddies from back then. Moving heavy boxes for the Reach just wouldn’t have been the same without them. Although Neut would be such a huge downer sometimes. Always blaming himself for killing grandpa.”

“Ha, I don’t blame him. I’d be sad as Hell if I blew up Central City and killed the Flash, too. Speaking of Neut, you know he came up with the idea of making a whole line of inhibitor items as a joke? But now he’s actually working on them with Star Labs so meta-teens who want to suppress their powers don’t have to have a collar on them to do so.”

“So it would be like a whole fashion line of inhibitor collars? Like inhibitor bracelets, earrings, and anklets?”

“Yeah, sounds pretty crash, doesn’t it?”

“Pause. Looks like I've got you saying crash.”

“Looks like you have. We hang around each other too much.”

“I don’t hear any complaints. Anyway, it sounds like a great business market. The inhibitor fashion line, courtesy of Star Labs.” Bart leaned back in his chair. “Would you wear one, too?”

“Me? Wear an inhibitor collar?”

“Collar, bracelet, earring, anklet. Whatever there is.”

“Nah, no inhibiting anything for me- not anymore. If you asked me even a few months ago, I probably would have said yeah. But now? I want to help others like me, ‘cause I know how confusing this can be. I wish I knew some things when I was an angry teenager yelling at my dad. Maybe it would have improved our relationship earlier.”

“Yeah, you used to be pretty angry. Might I suggest, the angriest of the runaways?” Bart teased sarcastically, remembering how angry and confused Tye, Asami, Ed, and Virgil had been when they first encountered one another. Of course, being kidnapped by aliens and then being tossed in a research facility and being forced to cooperate with experiments probably wasn’t the most optimal situation for teenagers who just found out they had meta-human abilities. Bart couldn’t blame them for being angry. Ed tossed a sopapilla in his direction in playful annoyance, and Bart caught it with his mouth.

“You don’t know the half of it.”

*

Acoma Pueblo, Cibola County reminded Bart of the barren Reach barracks he used to live in the future.

But he didn’t mention a word of that to Ed, out of fear that he was oversharing. He’d said enough about the future while eating enchiladas, anyway, and that was a total mood killer. Bart hated being a mood killer. Besides, this road trip was meant to be fun, not a recollection of his past. As they followed the Native American tour guide around, Bart tried to enjoy the barren, yet history-filled land they were in.

“…And if you’d like, you could go on top of the mesa and see the views from there.” The tour guide pointed up the building they stopped at as he finished the little tour of the town. “It’s a bit of a climb, but you’re young. Unlike me,” The tour guide said, emphasizing his hunched back and laughing heartily. He was an older Native man, with white hair tied into two neat braids falling down his side. He was more than ecstatic to show the two around the town, with a population of less than fifty Natives. The two smiled politely in response, appreciating the tour guide’s positive energy. After reminding them to visit the souvenir shops for locally made goods, the tour guide went on his way back to where they came from, leaving Bart and Ed to their own devices.

“Boy, if only he knew.” Bart elbowed Ed, knowing he could have teleported them up there in a jiffy. “Why don’t you just, ah, whisk us up there real quick? Perhaps via zeta meta-gene magic?”

“Nice try, Bart.” Ed replied. “You’re not gonna see any teleportation from me today.”

“Oh well, nothing a little good old-fashioned walking won’t fix.”

They climbed the stairs to the mesa and were greeted with a mesmerizing view of the canyons surrounding the area. The land seemed to stretch for miles in a nice hue of orange and brown. It was always eye-opening to gain some perspective on how expansive the country truly was. There was one point where Bart thought the area around New Mexico to be a drab piece of desert land, but he was proven wrong by the view bestowed upon his vision. Bart couldn’t help but compare the view to the future, yet again. All there was in the future was bleak grayness. Vibrant colors ceased to exist after the Reach invasion. There was a reason he loved his suit; it was red, yellow, and full of brightness. Bright colors made him happy- made him feel safe. And the canyon was rich with the bright colors he loved so much.

“It’s pretty.” Bart muttered as he drank in the sight. “Not at all-”

“-like the future?” Ed finished. Bart looked up at him.

“No, I was gonna say not at all like…like Central City.” Bart corrected him, even though he knew Ed was right. He knew he had to lighten to mood. “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

“Wizard of Oz? I’m surprised you know that reference at all, since you’re from 2056.”

“Oh, yeah, gotta love movie references. Wally got me hooked on old movies. Y’know, back when he was…” Bart slowed down and bit his lip. _Mood killer._

“Yeah.” Ed didn’t want Bart to finish that sentence, nor did he need him to. He knew precisely what had happened to the young hero- he was basically present at the time it happened.

Bart scrambled to change the subject. “He and Artemis watched them all the time. They also showed me this movie about a ninja girl who was ordered to kill her ninja boyfriend ‘cause her dad didn’t approve or something. Said it was their favorite. It’s my favorite, too.”

Ed looked out into the canyon again, squinting from the sunlight.

“He was a great guy.” he commented, not knowing what else to say.

“Yup.”

*

The Auto Museum at Santa Rosa reminded Bart that he promised to send pictures to the team.

“This is sick!” Bart exclaimed, zooming around the auto shop as fast as he could without his super speed. The shop was filled with shiny, vintage cars that would please anyone who was remotely interested in automobiles. “Jaime would love this. Or maybe his dad, ‘cause he’s a mechanic. Or maybe both. Cars are just so cool.”

“Slow down there,” Ed suggested. “You might accidentally go super-speed on me and lose the bet.”

“Don’t worry, _amigo_ , no super speed here today. Nuh-uh. Not from me. I’m just sending these to the Team, and I’ll be on my merry way.” Bart reassured. He posed in front of the cars with a goofy expression on his face. He proceeded to snap the pictures to the Team’s group Snapchat, with the caption “LOOK HOW CRASHING RETRO THIS IS!”

“Speaking of the Team, How’s Jaime doing? I haven’t really heard from him in…forever.”

“Same old same old. He’s busy with Traci. Always trying to impress her, even though she mostly only has eyes for Gar- I mean, Tork. He gets crazy jealous. But Gar’s been getting pretty big on TV, lately. I’m happy for him.” Bart was happy for Jaime; after months of agonizing over the Scarab’s voice in his head, he finally met a girl who understood and even enjoyed Jaime’s presence despite the whole “talking to himself” bit. Traci was sweet, and didn’t care because she had trouble controlling her powers, as well. As Zatanna’s newest mentee, Traci made a great addition to the Team- and a great friend. She and Bart got along very well, and the two invaded Jaime’s house often to hang out as a trio.

“Sounds about right. How about Virgil? And the rest of the Team?”

“It’s getting there. Lots of new members, not a lot of time to incorporate, but that’s always the dealio with these things, apparently. La’gaan left after breaking up with M’gann. Said he needed some time away from Earth, and something tells me he’s not gonna come back for a while. There’s still some drama between Arsenal-Roy and Dick. Don’t know when that’s blowing over, but he seems fine ding his own thing. Oh, and Virgil’s doing fine. But he’s always saying something about needing a girlfriend.”

“So, business as usual?”

“Business as usual.” Bart stopped taking pictures of the vintage cars and glanced over at Ed, who was inspecting a bright red sports car. “You know that there’s always a spot for you on the Team if you want to come, right? And Tye and Asami, too, if they ever wanted to.”

“Thanks for always reminding me, but the answer’s still no, my friend.” Ed said. “Nothing personal. But you know I’m busy with the new meta-teen facilities and helping out with the logistics.”

“’Course you are. You do your thing, hermano.”

*

The meteor crater in Arizona was a marvel for Ed, but it wasn’t much of a surprise to Bart as it was a reminder of the Reach.

“Yeah, that thing was a Reach spaceship disguised as a space rock. It wasn’t a meteor.” Bart recalled reading that little tidbit of information in the history books of the future.

“What? No way.”

“Yeah. It was carrying an earlier version of Jaime’s Blue Beetle Scarab, but it had a lot of things wrong with it, so it wasn’t really functional in practical matters. They improved the Scarab in future models.”

“How come I never knew about this?”

“Oops, that was a spoiler. Your timeline wouldn’t have known until next year.”

*

The Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona didn’t spark as much interest for Bart as the Pop Rocks at the guest area did.

“These literally pop in your mouth!” Bart exclaimed as he tried to ignore the stinging sensation of the candy. “How crash is this?”

“Super crash,” Ed replied. “But, uh, don’t you want to take a look at the forest? Like we originally came here for?”

“Sure, sure, as soon as I try all the flavors of Pop Rocks that exist. Oh, and same goes for the iced tea.”

*

They ended up having to stop by a local gas station by the border of Arizona and New Mexico, because Bart really needed to use the bathroom from drinking too much Arizona Iced Tea. The gas station was in various states of disrepair.

“Okay, this does not look safe.” Bart said.

“Just go in the bushes then.”

“That’s not that safe-looking, either!”

“Don’t tell me you’re scared.”

“Me, scared? Psh, I’ve seen Psimon and Devastation make out. Nothing could be scarier than that.”

“Touché. There’s no problem then, is there?”

Bart looked at the old gas station, fallen into a state of disrepair. Wally and Artemis had also shown him a fair share of horror movies- and he knew what happened to people who went to gas station bathrooms by themselves.

“On second thought, could you keep watch?”

* 

All in all, the day had gone by relatively quickly. Bart found himself rather exhausted from the sightseeing, while Ed was still worked up on caffeine. After viewing much of New Mexico and Arizona, they realized most of the day was over- and that canyons were extremely prevalent in the area. They decided it was about time to drive back, taking multiple scenic routes and meandering through local pathways to get the full experience of road tripping. Although being in the front normally meant navigation duty, Bart couldn’t keep his eyes open for much longer- and he drifted off to a quiet sleep, resting his head on the window. Ed tried to drive as smoothly as possible, so as to not wake him up. He was glad Bart had seen so many things, but had no idea it would push him to the point of exhaustion. If anything, this would make for a streamlined ride back, with soft Argentinian music playing through the speakers and lulling Bart to a deep sleep.

But Bart’s nap was short-lived.

“Bart, wake up.” Ed shook Bart’s shoulders as gently as possible, but with enough of a sense of urgency to get him to snap out of his nap. The redhead snapped awake and blinked a few times. It was nearly dusk outside, and the last bit of sun was barely peeking through the mountains- a sharp reminder that their day off was almost over. The sky was painted a deep purple gradient, looking picturesque. There was nothing like this in Bart’s alternate timeline. He would have gladly gotten lost in the view if it weren’t for the sudden stop.

“Are we back already?” Bart asked, surprised. He didn’t think he knocked out for more than an hour.

“Well, not exactly.”

*

They’d gotten a flat tire on the home stretch.

“This thing is so _moded_!” Bart kicked the tire of the car as he grumbled down at his Wikihow tutorial on how to fix a flat tire. He couldn’t make heads or tails of it. The car had driven over a stray nail on the highway, and it needed to be fixed before they could head anywhere. The signal was basically nonexistent, and the slow connection drove Bart even more insane. They couldn't call a mechanic either- no one would be available at this hour, in this area. “Just our luck to end the trip with a flat tire. Dude, I’m _this_ close to just running over to the nearest auto repair store and grabbing a new tire.”

“I mean, you could, y’know.” Ed suggested casually. “If you’re a fan of losing.”

“Or,” Bart wiped the sweat from his brow as he glanced up. “You could teleport to the nearest auto repair store and grab a new tire and we could be on our way in a jiffy.”

Ed smiled and shook his head. “Sorry, not gonna happen. Here, let me try.”

He hopped off the roof of the car, took the emergency repair tools away from Bart, and kneeled on the floor next to the vehicle. Bart watched silently as Ed skillfully worked at the tire, no instructions needed. Minutes passed, as Ed hummed a silent tune and Bart stared at his friend’s concentrated expression. Something about Ed’s expression was oddly satisfying to watch, like watching someone try really hard to achieve something and being present for the entirety of the journey.

“Wanna give me some light, _compañero?_ ” Ed asked. The sun was setting quickly, and there were no highway lights to support his efforts. Bart nodded blankly, turning on the flashlight on his phone.

“So, uh, when were you gonna tell me you know how to fix cars?”

“Learned from Jaime’s dad when me and Tye went over once, since his dad works the auto shop and all. He inspired me to keep an emergency auto kit in the car at all times.”

“Crash. Why didn’t I know that?”

“You never asked. Also, you told me to ‘let you handle this’, so I did.”

“Oh. Right.” Bart said sheepishly, embarrassed at his false sense of confidence when he suggested that he could fix the tire in a jiffy.

“There are certain things you gotta know when you don’t have powers, and certain things you should know even if you do have powers in case you make a bet with your friend that you can go a full-on road trip without using them.” Ed murmured, as he patched up the hole that was punctured.

“I forgot how tough life is without powers. I did have an inhibitor collar put on me when I was enslaved by the Reach, but Neut and some other guys figured out how to take them off while we had some downtime so we could be free for at least a little bit behind their backs. Those times I got to run around in the nearby desert were some of the best times I had.”

Ed stopped screwing in the bolts and looked up at Bart with a solemn expression. “I know I don’t say this often, but I’m sorry you had to go through such Hell. Wish I could’ve done something.”

“Nah, it’s all good.” Bart crossed his arms. “Sorry if I talk about the future so much. I know it’s a total mood killer. But it’s like word vomit, I can’t stop talking about it. Guess I’m still not used to all this…freedom. It almost feels a little unfair that I got to have this opportunity and no one else did. I know I shouldn’t be such a downer about this.”

“No, no, by all means. Keep talking.” Ed went back to putting the finishing touches on the tire. “No one can be happy all the time. No one expects you to, either. It’s important to just go through with whatever you’re feeling and roll with it, y’know? Otherwise you’ll just be stuck in the same place you’ve always been.”

“Thanks, buddy.” Bart smiled sadly. After a short pause, he spoke up again, ever the conversationalist. “You know, you’d make a great counselor. You basically do it for me all the time.”

“You think so?” Ed snorted. “My dad says the same thing.”

“Yeah, you should seriously consider it. You have a way of getting through to people.”

After a grueling 30 minutes, the tire was fixed. And Bart felt strangely despondent. He should have been happy- this was their ticket back home. But he had never felt so connected to Ed, or much of anyone else on Earth for that matter- not since he helped prevent the Reach apocalypse. Jaime was the only other person he would sometimes let things slip to, but he also didn’t want to burden Jaime with the reminder that he was the cause of the potential apocalypse. Bart always put on an upbeat appearance, because he felt that he had to. He was lucky enough to be in such a crash timeline, with crash people, crash food, and crash everything. There was nothing to be sad about concerning the future that never happened. But Ed told him it was okay to feel whatever he felt and express it whenever he wanted. It was liberating and validating to be alone with Ed, away from reality for a little bit.

But it was coming to an end. Soon they’d be back, and they’d have to go their separate ways again. Ed would have his hands full helping his dad fix up a meta-teen rehab center, and Bart would be going on missions with the rest of the Team. As much as he wanted Ed to join the team, he knew he had other priorities. He couldn't, in good consciousness, try to convince him otherwise.

“So, are we back on the road?” Bart asked quietly, trying to shake off the disappointment. He obviously didn't want this trip to end, but all good things did have to come to an end.

“Not quite,” Ed replied, heading to the trunk. Bart stood up, dusted off his pants, and followed Ed, who pulled out a folded-up blanket, climbed back up to the roof of the car, and laid out the blanket across the length of the roof. He plopped down, car shifting slightly from the pressure. Ed pat the spot next to him.

“The stars are beautiful tonight. Why don’t we stargaze a little bit?”

Bart grinned, hopping up to the roof as well. Due to all the stress of the flat tire, he hadn’t had time to truly see the sky above him. The stars were laid out like spun sugar across a dark, velvet blanket of endless sky- a sight he had rarely seen in the future, where ashes clouded the atmosphere and prevented people from seeing anything. The lack of light pollution also contributed to the beautiful sight laid out above them, and Bart couldn’t help but be fascinated. His mouth formed an ‘o’ as he unconsciously leaned against Ed’s shoulder, trying to get a better view of the stars to his left.

“This totally crashes the mode.” Bart exclaimed. “Look at all of those stars! Who knew there were so many? I knew there were a lot, but wow. That’s just so…many.”

Ed laughed, seemingly not bothered by Bart’s weight on his shoulder.

“You see that?” Ed pointed to a cluster of stars slightly above them. “That right there is Ursa Major, the Big Dipper. People used the North Star during the Civil War to lead slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad. And right next to it is Ursa Minor, the Little Dipper. Next to that is Cepheus. The one above that to the left is Draco, like the Harry Potter character. And above that is Hercules, named after the Greek God.”

“How do you know about so many constellations?” Bart asked, genuinely amazed by Ed’s surplus of knowledge in the subject.

“I took astrology freshman year. Wasn’t good for anything except impressing people every time I point out which constellations are which.”

“Well now, consider me one of those very impressed individuals.” Bart chuckled. He then realized the position he put himself in- leaning on Ed, on the rooftop of the car, gazing at the stars, almost like they were flirting. And he would be a liar if he said he didn’t think about it from time to time. Ed had grown from a skinny skateboarder into a tall, lean figure in the span of a year and few months. His messy hair was not a sign of unkempt nonchalance, but rather a trademark characteristic that Bart wanted to run his hands through from time to time. His mature, chill, gentle demeanor made him popular with those around him, especially those who didn’t know how hot-tempered Ed used to be. Bart respected Ed for coming out of the meta-gene predicament with a clear head, even though it introduced him to a completely different world. He dealt with it pretty well. By all means, Ed was a great guy.

But he had no desire to pursue him any further than beyond what they already had. Friendship was enough. He didn’t know where Ed stood on the subject of dating another guy; Bart knew that in the current timeline, there was still a general stigma against same-sex dating, unlike the future, where people were a lot more liberal with their affection. He didn’t know much about Ed’s previous dating history, if he had any at all. It just wasn’t something they talked about, ever. Bart was more than happy just being able to talk to Ed daily. He didn’t want to ruin what they had by making a mistake.

“Ah, man, looks like I got a little cramp in my neck,” Bart quickly detached himself with the lame excuse. Ed didn’t seem to notice his predicament.

“Speedsters can get cramps, too? I thought your super-speed prevented you from getting those.”

“’C-course they can. We’re not exactly invincible. I get hurt all the time, I just heal faster than normal people.” Bart stretched for good measure. “There, all good. Stupid neck cramps.”

“Huh. You learn something new every day, I guess.”

“So, what’s the deal with the road trip, anyway? It was pretty out of the blue.” Bart coughed. Aside from the awkwardness of just having laid his head on his good friend’s shoulder, he was genuinely curious as to why Ed brought up the idea in the first place. “Did you get tired of your old man breathing down your neck about his research, or something?”

“Well, yeah. That’s definitely one of the reasons.” Ed rolled his eyes at the thought, cheeky smile forming on his face. “But it’s not the whole picture.”

“Then what _is_ the whole picture?” Bart prodded.

“You really wanna know?”

“Yeah, dude! Lay it on me.”

“I just thought you’d like this,” Ed said sheepishly, hand rubbing the back of his neck. “’Cause you told me you didn’t have stuff like this in the future. And if you have, it probably wasn’t a good memory. I was thinking I could show you things you never got to see, one at a time. We could replace your bad memories with good ones. But I didn’t know if you’d be down for a road trip, so I was worried. You said yes pretty quickly, though. What a relief that was.”

Bart’s eyes widened. He felt his ears begin to warm up in happiness. “O-oh. Well, that’s really crash of you. And I’m having a great time.”

“You…don’t sound too sure about that.”

“Nah, it’s just…” Bart looked at his worn-out shoes, trying to fight the warmth creeping into his cheeks. “That’s a lot of things you’d have to show me. I haven’t seen a lot of things, really.”

“That’s not a problem. We have time, lots of it.” Ed reassured.

Now that there was no apocalyptic future nearing their timeline, Bart could feel a little more assured about promises of having lots of time.

“Good point.”

“But anyway, question for a question.”

“Ask away.”

“Why’d you suggest the whole no powers thing for this trip?”

Bart paused. “Oh. Well, I know you’re always talking about how much you miss being normal, without your powers. I figured this could be a good way to bring you back to those days. No powers needed, just two pals, a car, on a powerless two-pal road trip.”

“What? I’m over that phase of my life, man.” Ed seemed surprised at Bart’s train of logic. “I know I complained a lot back in the day, but trust me, I’ve changed. I don’t want to toss away this part of me anymore. My powers are a part of who I am, and well…I can’t just throw away a part of who I am.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Bart replied. “I guess I just always felt like I couldn’t relate. ‘Cause I was born with my powers and all. I could never understand how you felt, I mean, having powers is so crash! Having them being taken away is so moded.”

Ed chuckled. “I appreciate the thought. But I embrace these powers now. And like I said before, I want to help people who were confused like me. Maybe it’s not the same brand of heroism that you do, but I think I can help kids in their own way.”

“I’m glad.” Bart grinned. “Seriously.”

“Plus, it’s more useful than a burden most of the time. Like now.”

With that, Ed teleported back onto the floor, looking back at Bart as he did. He didn’t want to bother jumping down when he could simply teleport- and not using his powers for a whole day felt strangely out of place.

“Hey, you just broke the rules!” Bart exclaimed, half-confused and half-ecstatic that he was able to beat Ed at this trip of normalcy. “You just lost the bet.”

“Yeah, well, now I have a reason to take you out to dinner, don’t I?” Ed shrugged good-naturedly, unbothered by the loss. “Some place other than Big Belly Burgers. I’m sick of that place.”

He opened the door to the driver’s seat and looked up. “Only if you want, though.”

Unable to stop himself from smiling, Bart leaped down with the blanket in his arms.

“I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> I was really inspired to write a road trip-themed fic after listening to a new band that gave me road trip vibes. It was also an opportunity for me to explore the characters, given what little I have to work with for Season 3 Eduardo...I hope I did both of them justice. Shit I really wanna go on a road trip lmao.


End file.
